Carroll County Humane Society
396 Euclid Ave.; P.O. Box 384; Mc Kenzie, Tennessee 38201
PH# 731-352-9950 info@cchspet.org...............=-.......

A Non-Profit ~ No-Kill Animal Shelter

For more information go to Main Animal Cruelty Page

"My doctrine is this, that if we see cruelty or wrong that we have the power to stop,
and do nothing, we make ourselves sharers in the guilt." ~Anna Sewell

NOTE: There is a very real connection between animal abuse and violence towards people. One of the ways to stop violence towards people is to stop the mentality that it's OK to abuse animals. We can help through education and stopping the mistreatment of animals.

How does Tennessee state law define animal cruelty?
Tennessee's Animal Codes

Court Cases in Carroll County, TN           Photos    Warning:Graphic Photos
• 11/16/04 - Vernice Dwayne Montgomery of McKenzie, TN: Twelve (12) counts of Intentional Killing of an Animal: Sentenced to two days in jail and 11 months and 27 days on supervised probation, to begin his sentence 11/22/04. He was also was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,964.00 to several dog owners.
      10/15/04: Case heard before Judge C. Creed McGinley. Plea bargain agreed on, although this plea "does not represent a legal admission of guilt", Montgomery pleads guilty to twelve (12) counts of "intentional killing of an animal" after being charged in 2001 with poisoning many dogs to death while on his route as meter reader for the Carroll County Electric Company. Montgomery plead guilty to lacing hamburger meat with the chemical called Phorate, a pesticide used mainly on corn and cotton. A federally controlled chemical, Phorate can only be legally acquired by farmers and is not used very often any more due to it's extreme toxicity.
  It was believed that Montgomery was responsible for the death of many more, but autopsies and proof of poisoning is necessary for an arrest. It was also believed that this had been going on for a long time, possibly years. There were reports made to the Electric Company about Montgomery and his treatment of animals. The Electric Company says they had several complaints of him getting out with a baseball bat or ax handle.
      01/16/03: Preliminary hearing held in Carroll County. General Sessions Judge Larry Logan says "I think the evidence is very, very clear that Mr. Montgomery poisoned all these dogs,". Montgomery is bound over to the Carroll County Grand Jury which meets May 12, 2003.
      11/20/02: Arrested by the Carroll County, TN Sheriff's Department for intentionally killing up to sixteen of Carroll County's dogs with poison. The Carroll County Electric Company fires Dwayne Montgomery for 'being charged with unlawful destruction of domestic animals while on duty with the Carroll County Electric Department' per Lynn Compton, manager. Montgomery is arraigned in Carroll County General Sessions Court the day after his arrest and released on $4,000 bond.
  
• 06/03/04 - Dismissed: On a cold, rainy December night, six 6-wk old puppies were left out in front of the shelter building to be found in the morning when the kennel manager came in to work. The puppies were in the open, wet box for 14 hours before being discovered. The name of the person who abandoned the puppies was on a shipping label on the box. She later admitted to the CCHS Welfare Officer that she did, indeed abandon the puppies. The District Attorney was informed of the abandonment and a warrant was issued. She originally claimed she had contacted the CCHS about surrendering the puppies, but was told the shelter was full. It came out during the trial that she had not notified the CCHS about the puppies nor had she contacted Carroll County Rabies Control. It was stated that they had attempted to surrender multiple adult dogs at a prior time, but because the shelter runs at full capacity, there was no room for those dogs at that time. They had asked Rabies Control to pick up the dogs, but they had not. They felt because the CCHS had not taken in multiple adult dogs previously when the shelter was full, that there was no reason to ask the shelter to take six small puppies. She felt that just abandoning them in a box would make the CCHS accept the puppies, instead of calling to make sure there was room available. When asked why they didn't wait until the morning to leave the puppies, rather than making them stay all night in a wet box, the DA was told they were going out the night they abandoned the puppies – were on their way to church – so they brought them to the shelter then...knowing it was after closing time when no one would be there until about 8:00 or 9:00am the next morning. The Judge dismissed the case stating, "I think the people did the right thing".
• 03/18/04 - Tina Sherrod: Reduced from an Animal Cruelty: Abandonment to Disorderly Conduct: In this case a couple had moved from their rented home to an apartment. They left behind their cat, according to the property owner. The CCHS informed the District Attorney, who issued a warrant. The state then attempted to prosecute the couple for Animal Abandonment, but the Judge dismissed one of the couple's charges and reduced Mrs. Sherrod's sentence to Disorderly Conduct, requiring her to pay $104.60 restitution to the Carroll County Humane Society to cover the cost to care for Hazel.
• 03/18/04 - Dismissed: A number of anonymous reports were made to the CCHS stating that a woman had trapped a number of cats and was keeping them in small carriers on her porch. She claims she was "holding them until the CCHS could take them in". The CCHS Intake Coordinator stated she told the woman several times to find homes for the cats if she couldn't keep them, that the CCHS was overcrowded and could not guarantee placement. The CCHS offered the woman applications for the Low Cost Spay & Neuter Program to spay or neuter the cats she wanted to keep. She applied for a couple, but never followed up on having the surgeries done. A couple of the cats became pregnant and had kittens while confined in the carriers. The CCHS was told she was tossing in handfuls of food occasionally and the cats/kittens went without water for long periods of time. When our Animal Welfare Officer arrived with a Police Officer she saw the cats/kittens in the carriers in crowded and filthy condition, two of the kittens dead. She states when the cats/kittens were offered food they all ate in a starving fashion. The woman accepted a Notice of Violation. She was given food for the cats/kittens and promised to clean them up and feed them. She was given the option to surrender them to the CCHS if she felt she would not be able to continue caring for them properly. She later surrendered four to the CCHS and promised to have the others spayed and neutered using the CCHS Low Cost Spay/Neuter Program. She never followed through on that promise. The District Attorney's office later issued a warrant due to the mistreatment of these animals. The Judge dismissed the case at trial saying the Animal Welfare Officer and the Police Officer were trespassing.
• 11/03 - Dismissed: The CCHS received a complaint that dogs had been abandoned and some had starved to death at a residence. The CCHS Welfare Officer found a large female dog and a puppy, both quite thin and showing signs of starvation. They both had hair loss with sores. She then found a dead dog in a closed pen w/it's head stuck inside an empty feeder. Another carcass was present inside the pen and one on the outside of the pen. No food or water was present w/no means to obtain any. Both surviving dogs were taken into CCHS protective custody. This information was presented to the District Attorney, who issued a warrant. The Judge dismissed the charges stating that animal cruelty has occured but the fault was not that of the person for whom the warrant was issued.
• 09/04/03 - Michelle Thompson, of Buena Vista,TN, plead guilty to charges of animal cruelty in General Sessions Court. Thompson had deliberately starved her estranged husband's Boston Terrier, Elmo, to death. Elmo was severely emaciated, dehydrated and full of intestinal parasites, so weak he was unable to lift his head…partially due to the heavy cable around his neck, a cable way to large for his tiny body. Weighing less than 10 pounds (he should have weighed around 20 pounds), his body was covered with open sores due to laying in waste and severe flea infestation. A member of the Carroll County Humane Society who picked him up stated her hands were covered in blood from the flea bites. During his stay at the Animal Clinic, Elmo touched the hearts of everyone who took care of him. Members of the Humane Society Animal Welfare Committee visited Elmo and all agree this was a very sweet, gentle dog. A true trusting friend. Even with the good veterinary care he received, Elmo was just too weak and passed away three days later.     The following is the penalty Michelle Thompson received:
          Pay $302.00 restitution to The Carroll County Humane Society
          11 months and 29 days of unsupervised probation
          Serve 80 hours of community service at the Carroll County Humane Society animal shelter
          Judge Logan also prohibited Thompson from any future pet or animal ownership
• 07/03/03 - Vincent Chappell, of Buena Vista,TN, is convicted in General Sessions Court of Carroll County, TN on animal cruelty. In August of 2002, Chappell abandoned two pit bull puppies, locking them in a shed with no food or water, with the daytime temperatures reaching 90 degrees. Chappell had been evicted from the trailer he was renting d/t non-payment of rent. When the landlord went to inspect his property he found the two puppies. The puppies were covered with fly bites and eggs and according to the landlord, the puppies were "locked in the shed by an old door lain on it's side to prevent their exit. These dogs were without food or water, were lying in their own feces, and appeared in horrible shape." He goes on to describe the individual puppy's condition as "his stomach appeared bloated, likely from worm infestation, however the rest of his tiny body was just skin and bones. He was able to walk about and whimpered when he saw me. The second dog in the shed appeared much weaker." He says the second puppy "could hardly stand up". The landlord is a medical professional and speculates that the dogs had lived up until he saw them by drinking their own urine as no spots of urine were found on the concrete floor. He adds that this is one of the worst cases of animal cruelty that he has seen.
      The following is the penalty Vincent Chappell received:
          Pay $723.46 restitution to The Carroll County Humane Society
          11 months and 29 days of unsupervised probation
      Responsible for:
          $250.00 bond to get out of jail
          Lawyer's fees
          Court costs
• 02/27/03 - Thomas Berry is convicted in General Sessions Court of Carroll County, TN of throwing a mother dog and her six puppies into the Big Sandy river, killing three of the puppies, in November of 2001. He received a guilty verdict from Judge Logan in Carroll County General Sessions Court on Thursday, February 27, 2003.
  In the fall of 2001, the dogs had been abandoned by their owners who had moved away leaving Dixie Belle (a wire-haired fox terrier mix) and her babies to fend for themselves. A caring neighbor had taken them in, contacted The Carroll County Humane Society, and was scheduled to bring the dogs in when a foster home became available in about two weeks (it being policy to isolate all incoming puppies until they have received two sets of vaccinations, two weeks apart). The day before Dixie and the babies were to be surrendered to their new foster home, Thomas Berry came over to the caregiver's home, took Dixie and the babies and threw them in the river. Dixie was able to crawl out and made it back home. Two young boys found the puppies struggling on a rock in the water and on the river bank. Three of the babies were dead. The surviving puppies and Dixie were brought to the shelter by their distraught caregiver, begging The Carroll County Humane Society to take them in so Thomas Berry couldn't come back to finish the job. It so happened that the foster caregiver was at the shelter bringing the healthy litter from her home. She agreed to take them in.
      The following is the penalty Thomas Berry received:
          Must pay $484.00 restitution to The Carroll County Humane Society
          11 months and 29 days of unsupervised probation
          Can not own any animals for a year
      Responsible for:
          $250.00 bond to get out of jail
          Lost income from missing work for court
          Lawyer's fees
          Court costs